I know you’ve got a lot of blogs to hop to, so let’s get right to it with a simple infographic!

Question 1: What are you mentoring?I’m mentoring New Adult and Adult books.

Question 2:What’s on your Wishlist?Anything that has at least some speculative elements and some romantic elements. I define both rather broadly. As for romance, don’t hop to the next blog just because you don’t think your book is a “Romance.” My favorite kind of book has a heavy romantic subplot, but other things driving the main action. But I also enjoy subtle romantic subplots and full-on romances. So really, any level of romance, as long as there’s some, is going to pique my interest.

On the eve of the #VPDebate, here's my fictional debate from RED BLOODED. (Spoiler alert!)

"With election time fast approaching, Sinead’s novel comes just at the right moment. The author’s portrayal of a young girl’s struggle between personal need and social duty will have readers dying to know if her father was her father, if her mother will win the election, and if Dylan and Peyton are meant to be." - Library Journal

Chapter 38

“Don’t wait for things, not if you can help it,” I told Peyton after she said she would save the Kennedy Center gift certificate I gave her for a special occasion. “Every Tuesday is a ‘special occasion.’ Nobody knows how long they have.”-The Troubling Transition by Richard Arthur

We settle into our seats. My grandparents and my Aunt Victoria, my biological mom, sit to my right, and Dylan sits to my left. Our “relationship” has generated a ton of positive feelings with both the press and the public, so the campaign wanted to have us next to each other for the inevitable shot when the candidates’ families are mentioned.

The cameraman gives the announcer, a commentator from PBS, a nod, and then the fingers count down.

“Welcome to the first and only Vice Presidential Debate,” the moderators says. “I am honored to moderate this debate, which will cover both domestic and foreign policy issues. Applause is only allowed at the end of the debate and, right now, as I welcome Vice President Oberto and Senator Arthur.”We applause wildly and my hands get sore from the clapping. My heart yammers in my chest, so I can only imagine what my mom feels.

She does great though, all poise and style as she responds to the first question about a nuclear Iran and the next about universal health care. She talks in confidence about our debt with China and the need to keep abortions legal but rare. She nails it when she says that gay marriage, like the battle over interracial marriage in the 1960s, shouldn’t be left up to the states. She and Ruiz are the first major party candidates to say that.

But then there’s a question about the younger generation. The voters like me, who will be going into the polls for the first time. The college students who look at their dismal job prospects. The multiple twenty somethings who still live with their parents.

The commentator asks Vice President Oberto, “What would you say to these kids? Why do you have the solutions for them?”

“Well,” Vice President Oberto sniffs and curls his fingers over the podium. “I think all of these kids are independent. They don’t need or want a government strapping them down. When you’re working hard, serving ten-hour shifts waiting tables, you don’t want the Federal Government to chomp out a chunk of your hard-earned money. Under our continued leadership, we will lower taxes and keep government in its rightful, minimal place.”

My mom clutches the podium as her jaw stiffens. That’s not good. We don’t want millions of Americans to see her jaw stiffen.

The commentator turns to her. “Senator Arthur, do you have a response?”She swallows. “Yes, I do. When you’re working ten-hour shifts as a waitress, you have more than just your paycheck on your mind. You’re thinking about your health insurance, you’re thinking about birth control, you’re thinking about your student loans, you may even be thinking about whether or not a prescription drug you’re taking is actually okay for you. The Federal Government doesn’t get in the way. From advancing women’s rights to regulating products, Governor Ruiz will ensure the government continues to both pave the way and make sure the way is safe for everyone.”

There’s no applause, because we can’t clap. But my heart warms. I lean to Dylan. “I’m sure she lost a few independents with that, but I don’t care, I loved it.”

Dylan smiles. “Me too.”

The commentator turns to Vice President Oberto. “A one minute response.”“The kids today don’t need us to pave the way, they want to pave their own way. And safety. Well, life isn’t safe. Who says the government needs to coddle us? Kids these days don’t want to be coddled and cooed to. They can take care of themselves. My colleague Representative Roberts’ recently wrote a book directed at young people. In fact, he’ll be sharing it with Yale college students, his alma mater, this weekend and…”

He trails off, realizing that perhaps invoking a conservative darling during the national debate isn’t the right direction to take. He wraps up with some equally pedantic and paternalistic closing thought about “kids these days,” but I don’t take it in because my mind buzzes. Representative Roberts will be at Yale, Dylan’s school, this weekend.

I make myself refocus when my mom starts talking again. “Well, as a Yale alum myself, I can assure you those students don’t represent the needs of the average student.”

I look at Dylan, quick. His closed eyes and pinched brow reflect what I’m thinking. She shouldn’t have said that. Sure, we get what she means. It’s easy for Republicans to talk about how the over-reaching government “hurts” privileged college students who can “take care of themselves,” but they’re ignoring the average 20-year-old, who depends on student loans, or help with health insurance, or a host of other things. But, by saying what she said, she lumped herself in with those privileged students. Instead of sounding like she had empathy for the hardship of others, she sounds like a rich woman looking down on the sad, poor lot of others.

I can practically hear the scratchings of “limousine liberal” as commentators prepare their post-debate remarks.

She gets it. She shifts and refocuses for thirty seconds on how the government helps youth.

But the sound bite will live in infamy.

​I know you’ve got a lot of blogs to hop to, so let’s get right to it!
​Question 1: What are you mentoring?I’m mentoring New Adult and Adult books.

Question 2: Are you going to like my book?Probably if it is one (or more!) of the following:

A mystery

A retelling

SFF

A story involving politics

Literary Fiction

A romance involving fame

A romance with a hero who is a bodyguard, cop, or other type of protector

Scroll down for more details on all of these, as well as books I’ve enjoyed and genres I may not be the best mentor for.

Question 3: Why would I want to work with you?
Okay…so you’ve decided your novel is a good fit interest-wise. Yay! But there are other mentors too, so why would you want to work with me?

Well, I think I know how to write a good novel. But don’t take just my word for it. HEARTSICK and RED BLOODED, have received positive reviews from Library Journal, RT Book Reviews, and USA TODAY. My Wattpad novel, DENALI IN HIDING, has close to a quarter of a million views and is consistently on the list of top Science Fiction novels on the site.
I’ve been in the query trenches before, so I know what it’s like! I also successfully landed an agent—I am represented by Andrea Somberg. :)

If you have any questions before you’d like to submit, just let me know. :)
​Question 4: What is your letter for the scavenger hunt?

Wishlist Details

Mysteries: I love a good mystery, from cozies to gritty procedurals. I also define mystery loosely. If you’ve got a sleuth who’s solving a puzzle, send it to me. :)Retellings: I love seeing how creative authors can get with these. Bonus...If you have a Jane Austen retelling, definitely send it to me! :)Speculative/SFF: I love magical worlds, strange twists on the real world, and anything else that’s got some speculative elements to it. One caveat though: if your book is veryhigh fantasy or really hard scifi, I might not be the best mentor for it. I’m into what you might call “pop” SFF. Think X-Files and Harry Potter, not Dune.I realize that might be vague, so to give you a better feel for what I’m in to, here are a smattering of speculative books I like:

Uprooted, Naomi Novik

Throne of Glass, Sarah Mass

The Cahill Witch Chronicles, Jessica Spotswood

The 5th Wave, Rick Yancey

Charm, Franny Billingsley

The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood

Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card

Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins

Anything political: I was born in DC. I work in DC (on a policy journal). I read the Washington Post and Politico on a daily basis. I’m a total political junkie, so if you’ve got something involving politics, send it to me! :)And, if you also like political books, I recommend these!

Literary Fiction: While the novel-length writing I do is all genre, I’ve also published literary short fiction and my work has been recognized by Writers & Artists and Glimmer Train. I also have a highfalutin master’s degree in writing. So if you have a literary novel, please send it my way.A few recent literary books I’ve enjoyed:

Romances with a Fame element: I’m a sucker for celebrity romances. A few I enjoyed...

The Royal We, Heather Cocks

Jesse’s Girl, Miranda Kenneally

Under the Lights, Dahlia Adler

A romance with a hero as "protector" (cop, bodyguard, etc.)These heroes make me weak in the knees. :)Books I may not be the best mentor for​Historical: I don’t read a lot of these, so I may not be the best person to mentor you if you have a historical novel.That said, if you’d still like to give it a go, here are some historical novels I enjoyed

The Book Thief, Markus Zusak

Caleb’s Crossing, Geraldine Brooks

The Girl with the Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer

Books w/ no diversity, unless there is a darn good reason for it:
I grew up and live in a diverse community, so, basically, books that aren't diverse just..honestly...don't ring true to me. So, if your novel lacks diversity (aka an old, old wooden ship), there better be a really good reason for it. But that's hard to imagine. While there are certainly communities where almost everyone is of the same ethnicity, it would still be hard for me to buy a community/setting where EVERYONE was heterosexual, neurotypical, etc. etc. So, just something to keep in mind.

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I recently published a collection of my short writing. Here is just one of the pieces included in YOUR ROOM.

A New Life™ at 30You have no doubt been thinking about this for a while. Perhaps since the day after your 20th birthday, the first chance to transfer your mind. As you know, according to the Mind Transfer Act, which regulates corporations, such as New Life, Inc., and the technology associated with moving your consciousness into another body, you get a chance at a new life every ten years of your adult life. We hope you will find this pamphlet instructive. It is based on extensive research on the common thoughts and feelings that emerge during the first 30 days, the adjustment phase. We thank you for your business, and we hope you enjoy your New Life™!

Day 1After the procedure you will feel as though you just finished riding a mechanical bull after hours of swigging skunked beer and fresh fruit punch. This feeling will soon pass as you reflect on the joy of having left all the cares, worries, and concerns of your past life and immerse yourself in the wonder of entering into a new body, a new family, a new job, and a New Life™. The excitement may feel intolerable, but don’t worry, everyone tolerates it.

Day 2Pumpkin seeds may seem very attractive to eat today. Feel free to indulge, but be careful of overloading with sodium.

Day 4-6It will be difficult to keep names and faces straight, but remember that everyone, from your boss to your friendly neighbor to your new two-year-old daughter, has been briefed on the situation. Many of them have already or will eventually mind transfer themselves. Also, you will remember that you were not that good with faces before.

Day 7Don’t look directly at the sun. This is always true.

Day 8You may find yourself stretching out your leg, pointing the toe tip, like a ballerina, and feeling that the heel, the bump on an otherwise long stem of a leg, gets in the way. But remember you had heels in your former body as well.

Day 9You will wonder if the universe has a color. It does: Cosmic Latte.

Day 10It is on this day, as you may feel a strong desire to contact the person who has been transferred into your old life, we must remind you that every mind transfer is a move up in the world. This move up is based on multiple categories, such as relationship, career, bank account, ability to whistle, and other things too cumbersome to mention. Knowing that, the person who transferred into your old life is not only thrilled to be there, they are probably better suited to live it than you were. And you, better suited to live your current life.If this explanation does not placate you, we suggest walking in grass blades barefoot. That usually does it.

Day 11You will begin to realize that activities you avoided before, like walking in the rain and long lines at grocery stores, suddenly seem okay, even desirable. You will wonder at the wasted enjoyment of all the times you did those things before and were annoyed.

Day 12-15You may realize you are allergic to new things, like cats, peanut butter, or cucumbers. You may also hear odd noises emitting from body parts when doing otherwise normal things, like bending down to arrange miniature civil war figurines in a reenactment of the battle of Chattanooga, while Glenn Miller is blaring of course. We suggest you consult your New Body Manual before doing anything.

Day 16You will watch your old favorite movies out of a sense of nostalgia and need for familiarity, but will notice, clear as day, all the plot holes that eluded you before. The small inconsistencies from shot to shot, evidence that people on the set buttoned previously unbuttoned shirts or pulled back a formerly unruly strand of hair, will be blatantly obvious. Instead of being in despair, you will be proud you have come to know these movies so well. Then you will try out your new life’s movie collection, and despite the well-executed plots and unnoticeable inconsistencies, you will feel despair.

Day 18You will wonder if the moon ever wanted more out of life than to just revolve around the earth. You’ll find out that it is actually moving away from our planet, and you will smile at its small steps toward independence.

Day 19Nothing much happens on this day.

Day 20-22Teeth feel especially volatile, as though they are tingling, itching to get out of the gums holding them in place, keeping them from freedom.

Day 23Go ahead and submit to your urge to try a brand new beverage, like a cappuccino.

Day 24-26The tingling sensation in the pads of your fingers, your ability to eat habaneros, and the way you can now clearly discern the difference between an extremely dark navy blue and a faded black will make you think you have sprouted superhero powers. You have not.

Day 27A cupcake, preferably chocolate, will help today. This is always true.

Day 28You will probably pause and think about all the genes and cells you left behind, in your arms, in your heart, in your eyes, and in your nose. But, consider that there are ten times more bacterial cells in a human body than there are human cells, or you cells. So, really, you just left a bunch of bacteria for a new, better, batch of bacteria.

Day 29You will get excited when your cell phone rings, but be disappointed each time you realize it’s not a telemarketer.

Day 30 and onYou awake. The tingling in your fingers has stopped, mostly, and you are almost used to the new smells, sensations, and noises. You may see your old college friend or mother on the street. Remember, they don’t know you anymore. You may even see your old self, in your old favorite pair of jeans, ordering a Diet Coke. Remember that you don’t know yourself anymore. Finish your cappuccino, get the check, and leave.Bring this pamphlet in in 3,622 days, when you are eligible for another New Life™, and get 3.5% off!

This story was a finalist in Glimmer Train’s Very Short Fiction Award - July 2014. It was also shortlisted in the 2012 Writers & Artists Arvon Short Story Competition. It is also included in my short writing collection: YOUR ROOM.

Guys, SPIN THE LOVE is out now!!! Lisa Terry is one of my critique partners and she writes very fun, twisty books! Be sure to check out this YA Romantic Psychological Thriller! :)

Sixteen-year-old Whispy Callahan lands in trouble thicker than Florida’s humidity when she plays a twisted game of Dare. Everything would have been fine if she hadn’t fallen for one of the player’s “targets” along with dredging up buried murderous tendencies. Forget the game—now Whispy needs to find her boyfriend’s murderer, but that might prove difficult since everyone thinks she’s insane. They could be right.

Note: Unfortunately the document view doesn't render well in mobile versions, so it's best to view this on a laptop. I know, that's annoying... sorry :(. If I can figure out a way to fix it I will!

You wrote a book. Awesome! In fact, you’re so proud of it, you might even let other people give you feedback on it so that you can make it even better. Awesome again! But, your book is really great as is. So, you won’t need to make that many changes in order to get a book deal and send it out into the world. Right? Well, maybe not. But it’s more likely that, yeah, there probably will be some changes along the way. While I can’t say exactly what is best for you and your book, I can show you the changes that the first chapter of my book HEARTSICK went through along that bumpy road to publication. A couple things to consider before we get started.

Believe it or not, despite the many blocks of red passages, I actually thought this would be a good exercise to do with HEARTSICK's first chapter because, in many ways, it didn’t change much. There were many scenes that were cut completely and many new scenes that were added along the way.But this first chapter stayed relatively intact (meaning, it was pretty much the same scene) throughout the entire process. So these are the types of changes you might be able to expect in scenes that don’t end up on the cutting room floor.

I’m starting with the first version I felt comfortable even sharing with people (i.e., my writers group). There were many other drafts that you don’t get to see here because, well, they are so shitty I don’t want to share them even in a “this is a rough draft!” way. My first (and second, and third, and….you get the idea) drafts are glorious, raw monstrosities that I, and I alone, get to see. But isn’t that what makes writing fun. :)

So, first, let’s just see how many overall changes we’re talking about here. What’s the difference between the version I shared with my writers’ group when this books was just getting going and the final, published version…

Egad that’s a lot of red! Okay, let’s step back a little bit. How many changes did I make after I talked to my writers’ group, posted the first page in forums to get more feedback, and thought over things a little more? What was the difference between that first submission to my writers' group and the version I sent to critique partners once the entire book was “done.”

Okay, still a lot of red. As you can see I also took out a whole person (Jake really wasn’t pulling his weight in the book) and changed David’s name to Conrad. I also changed things that no longer made sense in the grand scheme of the story. (When I submitted the chapter to my group, I only had about 25% of the book written. I sent the entire, completed novel to my CPs).

My critique partners are amazing and they pointed out several things I should change in the book overall. Some of those things affected the first chapter. This shows the changes between the version I sent to my CPs and the version I sent to agents!

Yeah, lots of changes. You'll notice I changed up characters and had Danny as the center of the action instead of Mei. Danny plays a greater role in the book and it made sense to make him more prominent in this first scene. Honestly, most of the really big changes in the revision don't happen until after the midpoint of the novel. But, as you can see, that doesn't mean the first chapter didn't need a lot of work.

And what happened with this version? I got an offer of representation from Andrea Somberg!!! This, of course, was fantastic news, but it in no way meant that my work was done. Far from it. Andrea worked with me on some major revisions that would make the book more marketable. I also sent the revision to two new critique partners to get additional feedback. These are the changes between the version I originally sent to agents and the version my agent sent to editors. :)

And, you know what? I was lucky enough to sign with Carina Press for a two-book deal! Kerri Buckley, my brilliant editor, worked with me on developmental and line edits to really whip the story into shape. Those changes are shown here:

And, finally, a copyeditor and a proofreader gave everything one final polish and ensured that it followed Carina Press style (which, as you can see, for some strange reason prefers you don’t negatively portray real-life products…whoops…).

And, that’s it! it’s out in the world now! If you have any questions about this, feel free to add them in the comments below or shoot me an email. :)

Morgan McRobbie will do anything to protect the kingdom of Kilbourne.Even betray it.When Morgan rescues a damsel-in-distress from an errant dragon, he expects she’ll swoon, murmuring “My hero!” Instead, Marissa has only loathing for the man everyone believes will betray Kilbourne. That’s fine with Morgan. A woman in his life would just complicate things. A high-level informer threatens the kingdom’s security, and Morgan is out to stop him. Posing as a turncoat himself, he walks a fine line between honor and betrayal. A single misstep could result in disaster, and his mission is fraught with distractions: the pesky dragon, a pair of conniving courtiers, a surfeit of spies, and the disillusioned damsel who’s certain Morgan can’t be trusted. If Morgan’s going to save the kingdom, win the girl, and manage to stay alive, he’ll need to step up his game. Because the traitor is lurking in the shadows, and his scheme calls not just for the betrayal of Kilbourne, but also the destruction of Morgan McRobbie.

About the author: Keith W. Willis graduated (a long time ago) from Berry College with a BA in English Literature and a desire to tell stories. He lives with his amazingly patient, loving, and supportive wife Patty in the upper Hudson Valley region of New York. Keith believes that those rumbling noises long attributed to Henry Hudson’s crew bowling are in actuality dragons grumbling. When Keith isn’t writing down fantastical tales from the land of Kilbourne, he manages a group of database content editors for a global information technology firm. TRAITOR KNIGHT is his first published novel. Check out Keith’s website Writing@Knight or the TRAITOR KNIGHT Facebook page. And be sure to follow @kilbourneknight on Twitter.

My critique partner, Lisa Terry, has an amazing new book coming out soon. TRICOLOR has lots of interesting characters and twists, and, now, a beautiful cover! I asked Lisa a bit about her books and writing in general.

This is a cover reveal so, first, tell us more about the cover! What are your favorite parts?I think the blood drop is my favorite, but the heart with my characters in it is my second favorite because the two go hand in hand.

There are a few twists in TRICOLOR. Did you have these planned out or did they come up as you wrote?I had that planned out. I'm a planner :) The idea of one of the twists came to me when I asked myself: What would you do if you feared for your life and the only way to get help was to out yourself as a criminal.

O'Ryan is a tough and interesting character. What inspired you write her?At first O'Ryan came to me because I wanted a tough female character who you could never see staying in a bad relationship - except she does - and then we figure out why. There's a lot of tension in that dynamic. But that's only on a smaller level. When that same dynamic is forced upon her in a broader sense, her life and other's depend on her keeping a level head, and she's scared.

Do you have a favorite piece of dialogue from TRICOLOR?Oh, that's tough. So many of my favorites are spoilers, but I'll give it a go.There's this ironic bit:"So we're the bad guys now?" Jamie shakes his head."No, we're the bad guys too."

And this one that tore at my tear ducts:I roll away from the guy with Peter in my arms, and the little boy comes easily with me. “Get up,” I whisper into his hair. “Go. Run as fast as you can.”“Love you,” he says. There’s extra pressure on my stomach, then he’s off. Gone.

What projects are you working on now? I'm working on a semi-epistolary novel called THE TROUBLE WITH YOU IS THE TROUBLE WITH ME, a YA contemporary novel

You've been busy this year, with two other published books, MOMENTS and WHITE STAR. Are you planning to publish anything else this year?Yes, TRICOLOR will be out this month, and I have a book I co-wrote with Ashley Chegwyn, 17 PROMISES, that we'll publish in August. My next novel, SPIN THE LOVE, a romantic psychological thriller will also come out later this year.

What advice do you have for other writers?Keep writing (I'm talking to myself also). Don't stop just because you need to edit the novel you finished a month ago. Write, edit, and write some more.

#SFFPit is this Thursday, June 18!!! My friend Dan Koboldt does a great job of running this hashtag and it's an awesome opportunity to get your speculative ideas in front of agents and editors. Read all the details here.

If you would like feedback on your pitch, please post it below sometime today or tonight and I will respond to all pitches tonight. And if you have thoughts on other pitches, feel free to weigh in! :)

You can check out some of my previous rounds of pitch critiques if you're looking for inspiration/thoughts.

In 2001, I saw the Tomb Raider movie with Angelina Jolie. At the time I'd been writing for a few years, and I thought, "Hey, she's pretty badass. I want to write a character that badass." Razia started out as very sure of herself, very calm, cool, and collected. As I grew up and experienced the world and a career where I seemed to get a lot of "You're too young, there's no way you know what you're talking about" and I wrote that frustration into the book.

What I didn't anticipate was finding huge pieces of my own journey of self-discovery in the book. While the books are science fiction, they really have a lovely message about self-worth and self-discovery.Aside from the MC, who is your favorite character and why?

I really love the non-MCs in all of the books - Sage, Vel, Harms, and now Lizbeth, but I worry that because Lyssa is so short-sighted, we don't get to know the full scope of their character. That's why I wrote the Sage Teon short stories, and why I'm writing short stories between each novel. Between Alliances and Conviction (Book 3), I'm hoping to write two about Lizbeth's exploits external to Lyssa.

If I had to pick one, it's definitely Sage. He's such a deep and layered character and we haven't even scratched the surface of what drives him. Books 3 and 4 of the series definitely fill in more blanks in that area.What's your favorite thing about writing?

I love daydreaming, actually. When I have a moment where I'm just off in my own world and playing with these friends that I've known forever. There's something also pretty magical about seeing my words in print. What's your least favorite thing about writing?

I hate the last quality assurance edit of the process. I put so much pressure on myself to make it perfect, and I've read the book so many times that it's just gotten old at that point. What projects do you have in the works?

Besides Book 3 of the series, and my forthcoming fantasy novel Empath, I'm working on this romance (I think). Basically Romeo, a prince-turned-military-pilot, and Juliet, a orphan pilot loyal to her country, crash on a deserted island. It's so much fun because it's a multi-POV (him and her) and you have two very different voices telling two very different stories about this war. I'm hoping to get the first book out in January or February of 2016 (trying to squeeze it between Razia books). What would you say to aspiring authors who are unsure of what route (traditional, small press, indie) to take?

Start with understanding what your intention is. At the end of the day, are you trying to make enough money to quit your job? Are you trying to see your name added to the authors' list on one of the Big 5? Are you hoping to have someone else handle major decisions about your book - cover, plot, etc. - or do you want to have complete control?

Once you know your intention, you can make decisions toward achieving it.What are the differences between releasing your first book and releasing a later part in the series?

I know so much more this go-round. I have so many more contacts and have built so many more relationships. When I released Double Life, I had less than 100 followers on Twitter and just about 100 likes on Facebook. Now, I'm pushing 1k and 600 respectively. I was able to schedule content for nine weeks (which I now think was a little long), so the actual release was a little bit of a let-down. I went to work and was like, "Oh....yeah... I published a book today..." How did you celebrate the release?

I had a really big release at a convention in my home town 10 days before the book actually came out. It was pretty fun, but totally busy and so it wasn't so much a celebration. I'm planning on throwing a huge party in June 12, 2016, when Book 5 comes out (and my 30th birthday). Big band, catered, all that fun stuff.